A number of Ontario hospitals have taken the step of limiting the number of surgical and/or procedural masks employees may use per shift, but that’s not the case at Health Sciences North.
Hospital spokesperson Jason Turnbull told Sudbury.com this week that directive is not one that’s currently in place at Sudbury’s hospital “so far.”
“We have asked all staff and physicians to make every effort possible to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE),” Turnbull said. “We continue to monitor our supply of PPE while taking measures to conserve supplies so we can continue to provide urgent and emergency procedures to patients. So far those measures are working.”
As for N95 respirator masks, HSN is following the guidelines set out by the chief medical officer of health for Ontario; namely, those masks are only to be used when performing what are called “aerosol-generating medical procedures” — things like airway suctioning, bronchoscopies, and intubation.
Those guidelines also state that “when caring for individuals with suspected or confirmed cases COVID-19, healthcare workers should follow droplet/contact precautions (surgical/procedure mask, isolation gown, gloves and eye protection) and not use N95 respirators,” Turnbull said.
Public Health Ontario explains that COVID-19 is transmitted through direct contact with droplets containing the virus — that is the main route of transmission, as far as experts know now. There is no evidence the virus is airborne.
This is why PPE that protects medical staff from droplets and contact is the standard and why medical procedures that can cause those droplets to aerosolize, like suctioning, for instance, are the only procedures for COVID-19 patients that require personnel to don an N95 respirator.
HSN has no admitted patients who have tested positive for COVID-19.
